Flight test engineer education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a flight test engineer. Flight test engineers usually study aerospace engineering, electrical engineering, or mechanical engineering. 74% of flight test engineers hold a bachelor's degree, and 16% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 766 real flight test engineer resumes to see exactly what flight test engineer education sections show.

The most common colleges for flight test engineers are the Purdue University and the Purdue University.

There are also many online flight test engineer courses to help get the education required to be a flight test engineer.

There are certain flight test engineer certifications that you should consider. These flight test engineer certifications include Certified Systems Engineering Professional (CSEP) and Flight Engineer (FE).

What education do you need to become a flight test engineer?

What degree do you need to be a flight test engineer?

The most common degree for flight test engineers is bachelor's degree, with 74% of flight test engineers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 16% and master's degree degree at 7%.

Bachelor's, 74%

Master's, 16%

Associate, 7%

Diploma, 1%

Other Degrees, 2%

What should I major in to become a flight test engineer?

You should major in aerospace engineering to become a flight test engineer. 30% of flight test engineers major in aerospace engineering. Other common majors for a flight test engineer include electrical engineering and mechanical engineering.

Aerospace Engineering, 30%

Electrical Engineering, 18%

Mechanical Engineering, 16%

Aviation, 6%

Other Majors, 30%

Most common colleges for flight test engineers

Flight test engineers often get their degrees at Purdue University, Texas A&M; University, and University of Washington. Here are the most common colleges for flight test engineers in the US based on their resumes.

Flight test engineer common college	Percentages
Purdue University	11.68%
Texas A&M University	7.30%
University of Washington	7.30%
Georgia Institute of Technology	6.57%
University of Florida	5.84%

Show more common flight test engineer colleges

Best majors for flight test engineers

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Aerospace Engineering	29.7%
2	Electrical Engineering	17.8%
3	Mechanical Engineering	16.0%
4	Aviation	5.7%
5	Business	4.7%

Show more common flight test engineer majors

Best colleges for flight test engineers

The best colleges for flight test engineers are California Institute of Technology, Johns Hopkins University, and Stanford University.

A flight test engineer with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for flight test engineers. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become flight test engineers.

1. Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$12,424

Enrollment

15,201

2. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$55,188

Enrollment

15,105

3. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,832

Enrollment

4,550

4. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

5. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$53,740

Enrollment

5,567

6. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$10,610

Enrollment

40,329

7. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

8. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Enrollment

31,503

9. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

10. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

20 best online courses for flight test engineers

Advertising disclosure

1. Fundamentals of Flight mechanics

How do planes take off? How do they fly? How do pilots maintain control of them? And how high can airplanes fly? Get answers to all these questions and more with this specialization exploring the fundamentals of flight mechanics. You will learn how the laws of physics apply to airplanes and discover important concepts in aviation including lift, drag, and propulsion...

2. Flight Mechanics - From Theory to Certification of Aircraft

4.5

(403)

Modeling theory, aircraft 6DOF simulation, flight dynamics, flight simulators and aircraft certification...

3. Airline Operations: Flight Planning and Flight Dispatch

4.3

(702)

Airline Operations: Master the essentials of aviation - aircraft operational control and dispatch...

4. Part 1 FAA Private Pilot Ground School (Part 61)

4.6

(731)

Introduction to flight training, Aircraft Structure, Systems and Flight Instruments...

5. Complete Manual Software Testing + Web Testing + App Testing

4.4

(330)

Learn Basic to Advance Software Testing and Become a Software Testing Pro...

6. Software Testing,QA Testing, Manual Testing,SDLC,Test Plan

4.2

(1,574)

Become an expert QA Tester by mastering software testing, manual testing, SDLC, test plan and test case concepts....

7. Software Testing:Effective Test Case Writing & Formatting

4.4

(609)

Must for all Manual Testers Standard Test Case Format Manual Testing Concepts Test Case Designing Techniques...

8. Software Performance Testing and Engineering

4.4

(1,032)

PT Concepts & Best Practices JMeter Scripting for APIs Perf Testing of Microservices on AWS ECS & Lambda...

9. Phantom & Mavic Flightschool - flight training & Go4 app

4.5

(402)

Master your flying skills & the DJI Go flight modes like Tapfly, Active Track, Waypoints, Point of interest & more!...

10. Test Automation Foundations

4.3

(1,161)

Learn everything you need to kick-start your Test Automation Career...

11. Practical - ISTQB - Test Automation Engineer Course 2023

4.1

(261)

Learn the concepts, methods and tools to pass the ISTQB - Advanced Level - Test Automation Engineer Certification Exam...

12. Aerospace Engineering: Aircraft Fundamentals and Advanced

4.6

(2,504)

Aerospace and Aeronautical Engineering: Master the Mechanics of Airplanes - Aerodynamics, Flight Maneuvers, JET Engines...

13. Test Reporting - Know-How & Templates for Test Managers

4.3

(838)

Increase transparency with status reports, identify critical issues and execute counter measures during software testing...

14. Android Testing: Unit Tests, Hilt, ViewModels and more!

4.5

(472)

Learn Android Testing with Kotlin: Unit tests, Hilt testing, View Model, Fragment, Room, Repos, Test Doubles included!...

15. Automated Test Framework: ServiceNow

4.3

(587)

Automated Test Framework...

16. XRAY Test Management for Jira Software (Cloud) 2022

4.5

(262)

Test Management in Jira Software...

17. Aerospace Engineering: Aircraft Systems and Avionics

4.6

(960)

Aerospace and Aeronautical Engineering: Master the Systems of Airplanes - Hydraulics, Avionics, Electric, Propulsion...

18. Agile Software Testing

4.3

(296)

Agile Software Testing: Methodologies and Testing Approaches, Techniques and Tools...

19. Software Testing Masterclass (2023) - From Novice to Expert

4.5

(8,980)

Learn software testing and become QA Engineer/Agile Tester. Mobile/Backend/Web/QA testing. JIRA, Test Rail & much more!...

20. Software Testing: Get A Tech Job in Software Testing 2023

4.5

(4,617)

Testing, Manual Testing, Software Testing, Qa, Qa Testing, Quality Assurance, Manual Software Testing, Jira & Job tips...

Top 10 most affordable universities for flight test engineers

The most affordable schools for flight test engineers are California State University - Long Beach, university of florida, and california state polytechnic university, pomona.

If the best universities for flight test engineers are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for flight test engineers.

1. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

2. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

3. California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

Pomona, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,353

Cost of attendance

21,302

4. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

5. Inter American University of Puerto Rico Bayamon

Bayamon, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$5,940

Cost of attendance

13,508

6. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

Mayaguez, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$4,094

Cost of attendance

14,302

7. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,992

Cost of attendance

22,430

8. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

9. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

10. University of Central Florida

Orlando, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,368

Cost of attendance

21,034

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for flight test engineers

The hardest universities for flight test engineers to get into are California Institute of Technology, Johns Hopkins University, and Stanford University.

Some great schools for flight test engineers are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for flight test engineers based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. California Institute of Technology

Pasadena, CA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,566

2. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

3. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,497

4. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,508

5. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,471

6. Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta, GA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,465

7. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

8. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,545

9. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

10. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,512

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for flight test engineers

The easiest schools for flight test engineers to get into are Oregon Institute of Technology, capitol technology university, and cleveland state university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a flight test engineer without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for flight test engineers.

1. Oregon Institute of Technology

Klamath Falls, OR • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,139

2. Capitol Technology University

Laurel, MD • Private

Admissions rate

69%

SAT average

1,070

3. Cleveland State University

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,111

4. Pennsylvania State University - Berks

Reading, PA • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,107

5. Alabama A & M University

Normal, AL • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

957

6. South Dakota State University

Brookings, SD • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,149

7. Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi

Corpus Christi, TX • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,068

8. Purdue University Fort Wayne

Fort Wayne, IN • Private

Admissions rate

97%

SAT average

1,080

9. Wichita State University

Wichita, KS • Private

Admissions rate

97%

SAT average

1,152

10. Pennsylvania State University - Altoona

Altoona, PA • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,094

Average flight test engineer salary by education level

Flight test engineers with a Doctorate degree earn more than those without, at $99,759 annually. With a Master's degree, flight test engineers earn a median annual income of $95,514 compared to $88,473 for flight test engineers with an Bachelor's degree.

Flight test engineer education level	Flight test engineer salary
Master's Degree	$95,514
Bachelor's Degree	$88,473
Doctorate Degree	$99,759

Flight test engineer education FAQs

What is the best college for Flight Test Engineers?

Have more questions? See all answers to common architecture and engineering questions.

Search for flight test engineer jobs

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse architecture and engineering jobs